This data is helping to address longstanding issues on the role of forests in the carbon cycle – what impact has deforestation and degradation had on atmospheric CO 2 concentrations? “Gedi has made over 20bn observations of the 3D structure of forests, over temperate and tropical forests. “The outpouring of support we received for keeping the mission alive was incredible,” said Prof Ralph Dubayah, principal investigator on the mission. Researchers overseeing the project, based at the University of Maryland, said Gedi would have the chance to finish its work and calibrate its results with other satellites due to launch this decade that will monitor the planet’s ecosystems.

It is understood that the sensor will be reinstalled and could last until the ISS is decommissioned in 2031, giving scientists more data on issues including how much carbon trees store and the effect of forest fires on the atmosphere. Survival heaters are being deployed to make sure critical components do not get damaged in the cold. The sensor, roughly the size of a fridge, was put into storage last week in the International Space Station while another project completes its mission over the next 18 months.

Now, after an appeal from forest experts, Nasa has changed its mind and extended the life of the mission. It was going to be incinerated in the atmosphere at the start of this year. Data from the $100m (£81m) sensor, which uses lasers to measure the structure and health of Earth’s forests, has helped scientists better understand drivers of biodiversity loss and global heating.

Gmaps